Friday, August 02, 2013

USA Swimming Leaked Document - USA Swimming is budgeting $100k - $200 to help clubs with their PR when sued for sexual abuse!

I want to thank the whistle blower who leaked this document. They must remain anonymous because from what I have observed USA Swimming has a penchant for punishing people who speak out.

An internal document was leaked to me by said whistle-blower that came straight out of Bruce Stratton and the Executive Director of USA Swimming, Chuck Wielgus' office. The document is titled: Update Safe Sport Action Plan.

This document is summarily outrageous. In fact it's quite Orwellian with it's language. When an internal document from USA Swimming is issued that contains the words "Safe Sport" and "Action plan" one presumes the documents sole focus will be about protecting victims. Sadly this document is NOT about protecting victims but rather it is about protecting the assailants and the USA Swimming organization ONLY! - In one section it discussed how Chuck Wielgus and another executive will undergo extensive media training and then cherry pick which sports-media outlets to convey USA Swimming's message to. Wielgus will also start a blog which should be a lot of fun but I wonder if Chuck, or the public relations firm they have just hired, Ground Floor Mediawill write it?

For instance, as the screenshot states above, USA Swimming is going to budget $100-to-$200k on "public relations." That means if a club is sued, USA Swimming is going to send in a PR team summarily paid six-figures worth of member donated money to protect the club but NOT the victim! Not one thin dime is designated to go towards counseling of a victim or victims, or crisis support but rather it is designated to protect coaches and clubs rather than the dues paying members.

Now imagine if your son or daughter is the victim of a sexual molestation and USA Swimming suddenly brings in a heavily financed PR team to lessen your tragedy in the public eye or, if you read between the lines, vilify your son or daughter so as to make you go away.

Finally, let me zero in on the Orwellian factor: Paragraph one states that the Public Relations help is for LSCs only. Then in the second paragraph the rhetoric suddenly changes stating that the money will go towards USA Swimming's Safe Sport program and (get this) the victims too by giving the LSC or the coach that is being sued PR help. Tell me how this helps the victim.

To the members of USA Swimming, ask Bruce Stratton and the Executive Director of USA Swimming, Chuck Wielgus, to resign for promoting such an abortion of a child protection policy.